A Past of Secrets
by PhAnToM TOMATO
Summary: Kaoru's a girl on the run. Can a mysterious man bring joy after so much pain? Running from the past isn't always a good idea. ((One-Shot))


A/N Hey everybody!! This is my first fic, but was only half written for this, so the original is a bit different. It had to be a certain length and written a certain way, so yeah.. Please review, even if it means burning the place to the ground! nevermind.  
  
Disclaimer: Kaoru owns Kenshin, not me. All I have is the wonderful clone that Crystal gave me. ^ ^  
  
A Past of Secrets  
  
She was at it again, always running. They were close behind her now. She could feel them. Kaoru imagined what would happen if she were to stop. She shuddered. Tears filled the young girl's eyes and she wished she could be anywhere but there. She slipped away from the present and into the past.  
  
~*flashback*~  
  
A 12 year old Kaoru Kamiya had just finished packing her bag. She was very excited about the big sleep over. She gathered her things and ran outside with just a wave of goodbye to her parents. Full of joy, she didn't notice the black car following her. When she finally turned around, she saw the last thing she would remember, Jin-e.  
  
Kaoru had been kidnapped and had nothing but her backpack. Turned into a servant, Jin-e had her working around the clock, cleaning the pigsty he called a house. The poor girl had been treated like dirt for almost four years, before courage and opportunity gave her a chance.  
  
Jin-e had places to be the next day, so he made sure and got good and drunk the night before, so he'd look and feel his best. Fortunately for Kaoru, his plan backfired and only got him hung over. She grabbed her backpack and crept into the bathroom. The window was sticky and made some noise when she opened it, but she was pretty sure he was to drunk to hear it. Kaoru climbed through and ran as fast as her legs would carry her.  
  
~*end flashback*~  
  
She ran straight into reality, literally.  
  
"Oh my gosh! Are you OK?" she asked, helping the man who she'd just trampled.  
  
"Yeah, I guess I should have watched where I was going." His deep violet eyes felt like they were seeping through her, searching her soul. She turned to run, but his eyes held her in place.  
  
"May I ask where you were going in such a hurry, Miss.?"  
  
"Kaoru and I'm running away." She was beginning to get annoyed. This man, though very cute, was bringing her closer and closer to the last person she ever wanted to see.  
"Why."  
  
" Sorry, but I really don't have time to explain." With that she ran past him and continued looking for a place to rest.  
  
After sometime she saw a large bridge that was partially hidden from view at the base. Kaoru ran down the hill and dove into the bushes, her heart pounding in her ears.  
  
"Now that you're out of sight, will you explain this to me?" His voice made her jump out right out of her skin.  
  
"Why should I tell you?" He shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"Maybe I could help."  
  
"Only if you tell me your name." She couldn't believe what she was saying. There was just something about those deep eyes that made her want to tell him everything; who she was, what had happened to her, all her deep secrets, everything.  
  
"Kenshin."  
  
She decided that it probably wouldn't hurt to tell him. He held a sort of innocence. Something about him just said, "I would never hurt you." Besides, he didn't exactly look like the kind of person who would hang out with Jin-e. Kaoru started telling him her story, leaving out a few details that she wouldn't tell him no matter how cute he was.  
  
He was filled with immense sadness; to think something so horrible would happen to such a young and pretty girl. He took her in and kept her close to him at all times. Kenshin didn't know why, but he had a growing need to be by her all the time. That man could never have her again; she was his.  
  
At first they lived with a bit of caution, in case Jin-e would decide to find her, but as the years went by they forgot all about the past. The pair spent most all their time together. They became very close. Each of them holding a secret, one in the same, yet both unaware.  
  
One summer, Kenshin's job called him away to China. He hated to leave her, but she wouldn't hear of him losing his job over her. Jin-e, who had been watching them for some time, decided to recapture his little servant girl. 'Less mess', he thought once Kenshin was gone.  
  
Kaoru decided to spend some time under the stars. Jin-e snuck up and grabbed her from behind. She struggled and thrashed, but to no avail.  
  
"You've been a bad girl, Kaoru. Now, come with me and I promise I won't hurt you."  
  
"Never."  
  
"Fine, but this was your choice," he said, his sword gleaming in the moonlight. She backed up into a tree and pulled off one of the branches.  
  
"Hah. You'll need more than a twig to protect you from this, Kamiya." He charged at her at an amazing speed. She just barely blocked, but even so, he cut through her homemade bokken. Kaoru swung what was left of her stick at his head. He easily dodged it and plunged his sword into her. She was unconscious before she hit the ground.  
  
"Heh. Stupid girl." Jin-e felt a presence and ran off in the other direction.  
  
Through his work, Kenshin's secret had been spinning around inside his brain. He finished early and headed back home. Once he got to the bridge he broke into a sprint. He spotted her unmoving body and picked up speed.  
  
"Kaoru?!" Every fiber of his being was filled with horror and sadness. Her unmoving body was on lying in a pool of blood, the wind blowing her hair around her. Kenshin held her body close to his and let out the secret he'd been dying to tell her.  
  
"I love you, Kaoru," he quietly said. But, she could say nothing; she was dead.  
  
The End  
  
A/N: Please don't hate me for the ending!! Like I said before, I'd written this with different characters. I'm very sorry if this is terrible, but I am very tired. As for the fate of Jin-e, well let's just say that Kenshin's vow was definitely broken that night.. It was a bloody mess, that's for sure.  
  
See the button right there? Yeah, push it.  
  
Luv Always, The PhAnToM TOMATO 


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